Convertible furniture



J FREEMAN. CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17. 1920.

1,381,293. I Patented June 14, 1921.

2 SHEE.'SSHEET l.

INVENTOR 756 Free? 6/;

-,, 0 BY 1H /9 125/ 521 134.11 63% ATTORNEYS J. FREEMAN.

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE.

AP LICAT'ON FILED APR-17,1920. 1,381,293. PatentedJune 14, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOR 7 0 Frcem a 0 ATTORNEWS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN FREEMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO SAVE-A-ROOM FURNITUREMANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OFDELAWARE.

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 14, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN FREEMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at 2 East 181st street, New York city, in the county of Bronx,State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inConvertible Furniture; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the inven tion, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

The present invention relates to convertible furniture and particularlyto couches, sofas, cots and similar furniture which may be convertedfrom day furniture into beds or' the like, and, by simple and efficientmeans, enlarged as from single to double width.

Heretofore, in furniture capable of being converted from day to nightuse, it has been the practice to extend the length or width by means offolding sections hinged at adjacent edges, of to lower the back to formone of the mattress sections, or to slide the extensible section fromunderneath the fixed section. In these constructions considerablephysical effort is required to convert the fur niture, and often, in thecase of beds, either the mechanism is complicated or the two sections donot lie in the same plane when opened out. In some cases, also, twopeople arerequired to convert it, and sometimes the furniture must bepulled away from the wall for opening it out.

In accordance with one part of my invention, the convertible furniture,whether folding or otherwise, comprises a combined reversible basesection and a collapsible section, said collapsible section arranged tobe superimposed upon the base section for compactness and sightliness inday use, and opened out in juxtaposition to and in substantially thesame plane with the base section to produce a double width bedcomparable in comfort and appearance with the ordinary bed, the combinedbase and col lapsible sections being provided with anovel reversingmeans and said sections connected by mechanism which is constructed andarranged to assist the raising movement or retard the falling movement,or both, when the collapsible section is changed from one position ofrest, that is, superposed upon the base section, to the other positionof rest, that 1s, fully opened out from the base section. In thespecific embodiments hereinafter disclosed, the mechanism connecting thesections includes at each end springactuated link mechanism comprising apail of links and a spring connected thereto so as to be stressed whenthe collapsible section 1s 1n either position of rest, therebymaterially reducing the physical effort required to change the positionof the collapsible section from either position of rest to the other.

In the accompanying ing the invention in ample, to two forms drawingsillustratapplication, as an exof couch beds in which a collapsiblesection is guided in movements of substantial parallel translation withthe assistance of a spring and connecting mechanism at each end to ajuxtaposed position in substantially the same plane with the basesection to form a double width bed.

F gure 1 is a perspective view of a reversible couch bed with a backconverted for day use as a couch; Fig. 2 is a perspective view thereofin reversed position, showing the frame work of the head pieces or armsin lowered position, and showing, in broken lines, the collapsiblesection opened out; Fig. 3 shows the base and collapsible sectionsthereof in two positions during reversal; Fig. 4 is a section on line44. of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of the sectionopened out; Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a form of couch bed, withouta back, in which the base section is stationarily supported on legs;Fig. 7 is similar to Fig. 6 but shows the collapsible section partlyopened out; Fig. 8 is similar to Fig. 6 but shows the collapsiblesection fully opened out; Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary end view ofthe sections opened out; and Fig. 10 is a section on line 10l0 of Fig.9.

In both embodiments, the base section 1 and the collapsible section 2each consist of frames having longitudinal angle irons 3 and end angleirons 4 joined together. These sections are connected at theirrespective ends by mechanism comprising bell crank levers 5 journaled onpivot pins 6 near the inner corners of the collapsible section, and onpivot pins 7 near the median line of the base section; bell crank levers8 journaled on pivot pins 9 near the outer corners of the basesection-and on pivot pins 10 near the median line of the collapsiblesection; and springs 11 secured to the bell crank arms 12 and 13 of thelevers 5 and 8. When the collapsible section 2 is superimposed upon thebase section 1, or when opened out in juxtaposition thereto, the levers5 and 8 are in an inclined position in which the distance between theends of the bell crank arms 12 and 13 is greatest, thus stressingsprings 11 and tending through the levers 5 and 8 to assist in raisingthe collapsible section from either position of rest and opposing itsfall to the base section or to the floor. During these changes ofposition, the levers 5 and 8 guide the collapsible section in movementsof translation, or more specifically in movements of substantialparallel translation, the collapsible section moving bodily in asubstantially vertical direction in initially rising from and finallydescending to either position of rest. This movement permits thefurniture to stand closely against the wall, and also makes it possibleto fasten the supporting legs 14 permanently and rigidly to thecollapsible section without interfering with the closing of the latterupon the base section in superimposed relation, or reversing the baseand collapsible sections even when the couch bed has a back. Supportingbrackets 15 are riveted to the end angle irons 1 of the base section toreceive the levers 5 and support the inner end of the collapsiblesection when opened out. (See Figs. 1, 5, 9 and 10.)

In the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5, the base and collapsible sectionsare, when in superimposedrelation, reversible on the base of the couch,and are adapted to be seated thereon with either side uppermost,substantially as disclosed in my copending application Serial No.297,056 filed May 14, 1919. The base of the couch consists of an openrectangular frame of wood havingllongitudinal stringers 16, cross pieces17, end-sup-' porting rails 18, and legs 19. Hinged to the ends of thebase of the couch are head pieces or arms 20, which may be raised andlowered by any suitable mechanism, as for instance the mechanism formingthe subject matter of my Letters Patent No. 1,334,365 issued March 23,1920. The base section 1 carries end-supporting members 21 which,together with the end rails 18, provide a sliding pivotal connectionbetween the base section 1 and the base of the couch. The reversingmechanism connecting each end of the base section to the baseeof thecouch consists of pairs of links 22 and 23, one pivoted to theend-supportin members 21 at 21, and the other to the base of the couchat 25, the springs 26 being connected between the links 23 and the baseof the ('tCll to assist in raising the base and collapsible sections forreversing them, and to oppose their fall after reversal. (See Fig.3.)

'The end-supporting members 21, connected to the base section 1 by bolts27, are offset by spacing sleeves 28 and blocks 29, and are recessed at30, to provide clearance for the free movement of the levers 5 and 8.(See Fig. 1.) A guide plate 31 is riveted in the recess 30 of theend-supporting members 21 and engages the inside of the endsupportingrails 18 to prevent lateral displacement of the links and levers duringthe reversing and converting movements. To further support thecollapsible section, a strip of wood 32 is fastened to the under side ofthe base section at the outer edge thereof adjacent the collapsiblesectionwhen the latter is opened out to form a ledge upon which theinner edge of the collapsible section rests. (See Fig.

Fastened in the frame of eachsection is a flat wire spring (not shown)which serves in the base section as a resilient support for theupholstered cushions 33 on top thereof, and for the mattress 31 on thebottom, and in the collapsible section as a resilient support for themattress 35. The base and collapsible sections are held together duringthe reversing movement-s by a strap 36 secured to the frame of the basesection. Pivoted near the ends of the collapsible section arepiHow-supporting frames 37 which may be swung down upon the mattress 35,to hold the mattress in position when the sections are reversed. Wheneither frame 37 is released from the latch 38 for the holding spring 35)and thrown up to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2 againstthe stop 10, it serves to support the pillows for night use.

To reverse the couch bed from day to night use or vice versa, it ismerely necessary to give the reversible unit, comprising the base andcollapsible sections, an. upward pull from the front of the couch,whereupon the pivot pins 24 are guided upwardly by the links 23 uponcombined actions of the operator and the springs 26,and the reversibleunit is guided by the end-supporting members 21 sliding and rolling onthe rails 18 as indicated in Fig. 3. When the reversible unit falls, itsdownward movement is opposed by the springs 26 as they become stressed.Neither the back 11 nor the legs 14 interfere with the reversingmovement and the head pieces or arms 20 may be lowered, if desired, toan adjusted position before or afterward. hen the reversible unit is inthe position shown in Fig. E2, the device may be used as a single widthbed, or the collapsible section may be moved to the broken line positionin juxtaposition to and in substantially the same plane with the basesection by first unfastening the strap 36 and then pulling thecollapsible section forward from the front by means of the handle 42,the collapsible section initially rising and finally falling in asubstantially vertical direction and passing through the intermediateposition shown in Fig. 7 in movements of substantial paralleltranslation. The springs 11 are stressed when the collapsible section isin either position of rest. In assisting the operator at the beginningof the movement from either position and retarding the falling movementto the other position, by passing through an unstressed condition in theintermediate position (illustrated in Fig. 7), the springs materiallyreduce the physical effort required and reduce the shock and noise.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 6 to 10, the base section 1 isstationarily supported on the legs 43. Since the sections do notreverse, the-strap 36 and, if desired, the pillow-supporting frames 37of the first embodiment mav be omitted. To further simplify theconstruction, the ledge 32 of the first embodiment may be omitted, thecol-. lapsible section, when extended, being supported by the legs 14and the brackets 15 receiving the links 5. The sections haveflatmattress springs (not shown) and the mattresses 44 and 45 are placedthereon.

The collapsible section 2 is provided with a handle 46 and moves fromthe superimposed position shown in Fig. 6 to the extended position shownin Fig. 8, and vice versa, through the in termediate position shown inFig. 7, in the same way as previously described with respect to thefirst embodiment.

cover over the device when the collapsible section is superimposed onthe base section renders it sightly and useful for day use.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is: v

1. In convertible furniture, a base section, a collapsible sectionadapted to be superimposed upon and opened out in juxtaposition to andin substantially the same plane with said base section, and pairs ofbell crank levers connected to pivotal points on respective ends of saidbase and collapsible sections to guide said collapsible section,relative to saidbase section, in movements of parallel translation whenthe position of said collapsible section is changed and a springconnected to said bell crank levers to assist the raising movement andto retard the falling movement during the change of position.

2. In convertible furniture, a base section, a collapsible-sectionarranged to be superimposed upon and opened out in juxtaposition to andin substantially the same plane with the base section, and a support forthe collapsible section when opened out comprising a ledge which iscarried by the base secwith the base section,

tion and upon which the collapsible section rests and links connected topivotal points near each inner corner of the collapsible section andbrackets carried by the base section near the outer corners thereof forsupporting said links.

3. In convertible furniture, a base section, a collapsible sectionarranged to be superimposed upon and opened out in juxtaposition to andin substantially the same plane an end supporting member on said basesection, a link connected to pivotal points on the base and collapsiblesections, a recess in said end supporting member to permit said link tomove freely to the inner inclined position when the collapsible sectionis superimposed upon the base section and to the outer inclined positionwhen the collapsible section is opened out, and a guide in said recessarranged to preclude the lateral movement of the sections throughout thechange from one position to the other.

4. In convertible furniture, a reversible body comprising a combinedmain secton and collapsible section, said collapsible section adapted tobe superimposed upon and opened out in juxtaposition to and insubstantially the same plane with said main section, pairs of hell cranklevers connected to pivotal points on respective ends of said main andcollapsible sections to guide said collapsible section, relative to said.main section, in movements of parallel translation when the position ofsaid collapsible section is changed, and a spring connected to said bellcrank levers to assist the raising movement and to retard the fallingmovement during the changing of position.

5. In convertible furniture a reversible body, comprising a combinedmain section and collapsible section, said collapsible section adaptedto be superimposed upon and opened out in juxtaposition to and insubstantially the same plane with the main section, a support for thecollapsible section when opened out comprising a ledge which is carriedby the base section and upon which the collapsible section rests andlinks connected to pivotal points near each inner corner of thecollapsible section and brackets carried by the base section near. theouter corners thereof for supporting said links.

6. In convertible furniture. a supporting base, a reversible bodyadapted to be seated on said base with either side uppermost, said bodycomprising a main section and an extensible and collapsible section,double-ended supporting members carried by the body at its respectiveends to form moving fulcrums, vertically movable pivot connectionsbetween the base and the body, and springs assisting in the elevation ofthe vertically movable pivot connections during the movement of thefulcrums in one direction and opposthe vertically movable pivotconnections during the movement of the fulcrums in the other directionas the body is turned for reversing.

7 In convertible furniture, a supporting base, a reversible body adaptedto be seated on said base with either side uppermost, said bodycomprising a main section and an extensible and collapsible section, adoubleended moving fulcrum between the base and the body, pivots carriedby the body at its respective ends, a plurality of links connected toeach of the pivots and the base, springs connected between the base andthe links so as to tend to raise the body from the base ing the fall ofturned for reversing,

during the movement of the fulcrum in one direction and to oppose thefall of the body to the base during the movement of the fulcrum in theother direction as the body is pairs of bell crank levers connected topivotal points on respective ends of said main section and collapsiblesection for extending said collapsible section, and a spring connectedto said bell crank levers to assist the raising movement and to retardthe falling movement of said collapsible section during the changing ofposition.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

JOHN FREEMAN.

